County weighs inmate facility

Thursday

Feb 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - County officials will apply for state grant money to possibly build a corrections facility that operates much like a halfway house for non-dangerous inmates, an alternative they hope will help alleviate jail overcrowding if the project moves forward.

Jennie Rodriguez-Moore

STOCKTON - County officials will apply for state grant money to possibly build a corrections facility that operates much like a halfway house for non-dangerous inmates, an alternative they hope will help alleviate jail overcrowding if the project moves forward.

A potential $40 million might be available in state funding to develop the 400- to 500-bed community corrections center, where inmates would be allowed to come and go under supervision.

"Nothing is yet set in stone," said San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore.

Although he believes the proposal will qualify for the new stream of construction money through SB1022, Moore said, "we're not sure at this point."

San Joaquin County has seen an estimated 400 more inmates in the local jail on any given day since the enactment of AB109, California's prison realignment law, which shifted responsibility of certain lawbreakers from state prisons to county corrections more than one year ago.

Making room for those AB109ers means an increasing number of local offenders are getting released early so the jail can continue meeting a court cap on jail population.

"Right now, many people are capped out (of jail) on a daily basis," said county Chief Probation Officer Stephanie James. "This will be one tool we'll be able to use to alleviate jail space for those who need to remain in custody."

The county has more than $100 million set aside to build a 1,280-bed expansion, but construction has been stalled because there are no funds to operate it.

Moore said a new jail is still needed, but looking at a community corrections center is one way to address the capacity problem.

Like the halted jail project, there are hurdles to work out with the center, too.

"SB1022 will give us the money to build the facility, but there is no money to run it," Moore said. But he did say that it would be more feasible to find operating funds for this facility than for the jail expansion.

A group of city and county leaders recently visited the Washington County Community Corrections Center in Hillsboro, Ore., for an idea of how such a facility functions.

Officials are in the process of sketching out details of how the program will work in San Joaquin County.

That encompasses visiting other similar centers that have comparable demographics to San Joaquin County, since Hillsboro has a lower crime rate.

Preliminary plans are that the Probation Department would operate the center, Moore said.

The idea is that not only would the center free up jail beds for riskier inmates, but it also would help inmates transition back into society with programs that include job readiness, James said.

Qualifying inmates would be transferred to the center 30 to 60 days from their scheduled release date, provided they meet good behavior standards and other criteria, James said. And the plan is to partner with other agencies for services, such as gang intervention, mental health programs and substance abuse treatment.

"I view this as the potential for doing re-entry at the local level," Moore said.

James said the county is waiting for the state to announce its opening for SB1022 bids. She said up to $40 million might be available for a county the size of San Joaquin.